Tube-welding ball



(No Mdel.)

S. J. ADAMS.

. TUBE WELDING BALL.

No. 250,477. Patented Deo. 6,1881.

Ntra STATES Arent rtree,

TUBE-WELDING BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 250,477, dated December 6, 1881.

Application filed December 2,1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, S. JARVIS ADAMS, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tube iVelding Balls; and I do hereby' declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Which- Figure lis a perspective view, partly broken away, of my improved ball. Fig. 2 is a cross. section of the same on the line so x, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention relates to the balls used in the manufacture of Wrought-metal tubing, to form a surface against which the rolls press the skelp in welding it .into a tube. These balls are suspended on a long rod or mandrel between the Welding-rolls, and after the Welding of the tubing the rod is Withdrawn by suitable mechanism, the ball being knocked off the rod by the end of the tube. rIlhe manufacture ot' these balls is difficult, as they must-be made of exact size, the variation ot' one-tiftieth of an inch being fatal, and if they are not cast perfect in shape they must he ground or turned true before use. It is necessary that these balls possess great strength at the point of Weld, as they would be crushed in Welding the tube unless sufticiently strong to sustain the pressure ofthe rolls. Ihen cast With a shell sufficiently thick to stand this pressure, another objection is encountered in the difficulty of breaking the ballif it becomes stuck in the pipe, it becoming necessary to cut the skelp or pipe to remove the ball, and thus spoil a length of tubing.

The object of my invention is to form a welding-ball which possesses the requisite strength at the point of Weld, but can easily be broken out if it becomes lodged in the pipe.

My invention consists in a Welding ball formed of a thin or frangible shell provided on the interior with a series of separate lugs integral with the shell at the point of Weld, said lugs being adapted to fit around and be supported by a central mandrel, so as to form a sufficient bracing for welding, but permitting the easy breakage ot' the shell.\vhen unsupported by said mandreh To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings referred to, A represents my improved welding-ball, which is formed of cast metal, the front end of the ball being drawn to a point. to direct the skelp into the welding-rolls. The ball is formed of a thin shell, a, which, when supported as hereinafter described, is sufficiently strong to beur the pressure ofthe welding rolls, but when unsup ported is Weak and easily broken. The exterior of the shell is cylindrical, being either cast to shape or cast and then turned. rIhe interior of the shell is preferably made angular to provide points or lines where the metal is thinned, so that it will break easily when necessary. I find that a hexagonal or octagonal interior-gives good results, as, While at the same time it bears the pressure when braced, it presents a sufficient number of Weak points to break easily by a blow from the outside when the bracing is not connected.

As there is no great strain on the ball at the point or iu a large part of the body, no bracing is considered necessary; but in the interior of the ball, below the point where the Weldingrolls have the greatest pressure on the skelp, as at t, (known as the pointot' Weld,) I form the series ot' lugs or braces b b,which extend down to the rod or mandrelf, on which the ball is supported. These lugs or braces are cast integral with the shell, and extend down so that their com bined inner edges or surfaces, c, form a seat or bearing, c, for the mandrelf. rlhe seat c, so formed is made slightly tapering in such manner that when the mandrel fis placed in the seat it will wedge therein, connecting the separate lugs or braces b fitting around it, so

' as to form a continuous support across the interior of the shell. The mandrelf is also ta pered, so that it will wedge more rmly within the lugs and form a stronger brace to them. I prefer to make the tapering seat or bearing c round, to be used with a correspondingly-tapered round mandrel, as I find that the ball,

when wedged on the mandrel, is held firmly, and the mandrel braces the supports all around the seat, while at the same time the ball can be turned to present more perfect surfaces for welding than where the seat is angular. The seat c is preferably cast on a chill, so as to obtain a more perfect rest or bearing for the tapered mandrel than where a common sand core is used. The end of the mandrel may either be supported in the pointd ofthe ball, or a suitable support therefor may be formed 'within the ball beyond the lugs or braces b.

When my improved welding-ball is in use it is placed on the end of the tapered mandrel f, the tapered seat c, formed by the edges e of the lugsb, fitting around and Wedging the ball thereon. The wedged mandrel fconnects and supports the separate lugs or braces b, so that there is a strong bracing from one side of the shell to the other, making practically a solid support across the interior of the shell at the point of weld suflicient to bear the pressure ot' the rolls in welding the tube. The ball is then placed between the welding-rolls and the tube Welded thereon in the usualrnanner, the shell, supported as above described, being enabled to bear the pressure without breaking and perform its usual function in welding the tube. If the ball becomes stuck or lod-ged in the tube, and forms what is termed a sticl;er,7 all that is necessary is to draw out the mandrelf, thus removing the continuity of the support. rIhere being no connection between the separate lugs or braces, they will in no way interfere with the breaking of the shell, which can be done with a hammer by ablow on the outside of the tube, and the crushed ball removed. The tube can then be placed in the furnace,reheated, and rewelded, thus saving the length of tubing intact.

By this means I am enabled to form a thin or frangible shell which is light in weight, and therefore less expensive than the heavy balls, yet strong enough, when supported as described, to sustain the pressure of the rolls in welding the tubing. I also obtain a breakable shell and leave the shell unsupported, to be removed, as above described, by simply withdrawing the mandrel, and so save the trouble of breaking out the solid diaphragm, as described in a previous application made by me.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is-

l. A tubewelding ball formed of a thin or frangible shell provided on the interior with a series of separate lugs or braces integral with the shell at the point of weld, said lugs being adapted to tit around and be supported by a central mandrel, so as to form a suilicient bracing for welding, but permitting the easy breakage of the shell when unsupported by the mandrel, substantially as described.

2. The tubular welding-ballA, formed of the thin or frangible shell a and a series of separate lugs or braces, b, the inner edges ot'whieh form the tapering seat c, in combination .with the tapered mandi-elf, substantially as and t'or the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said S. JARVlS ADAMS, have hereunto set my hand.

S. .IARVIS ADAMS.

Witnesses:

HENRY C. JoNEs, JAMES I. KAY. 

